


The Cruelest Dream, Reality

by IowaGuy1979



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Depression, Rachel Amber never went to Arcadia Bay, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 07:14:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28596060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IowaGuy1979/pseuds/IowaGuy1979
Summary: From the Long Beach Post-Telegram   May 6th, 2010Of particular note, is the performance of Rachel Amber. She electrified the stage, stepping into the skin of her character. She makes a simple community theater production as  almost a Broadway play, though still a high school student. I expect  her to take the larger theatre scene, or even Hollywood, like a raging storm.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	The Cruelest Dream, Reality

It had been almost two years, since Max had left. No calls, no texts. And then that Full Metal fucker started dating Joyce. Chloe had heard that Firewalk was playing at the old mill that night. She couldn’t go, however, as the aforementioned fucker was watching her like a hawk. Bastard had even nailed the window shut.

Earlier that afternoon, he had said “Heard one of those druggies say something about the old mill, while I was eating at the Two Whales. Some kind of concert, or something tonight. You are staying here, soldier. Don’t need those types dragging you down, you’re bad enough as it is”

“Fuck you, asshole! I can do what I want”, she had snarled back. She was on the floor, suddenly. A red welt had appeared on her left cheek.

“I didn’t want to do that, but, it’s your fault for being so unruly.”, Step asshole had said.

She had looked to Joyce. “Tell me you’re not going to take his side.”

The older woman had let out a sad sigh. “You need to be brought under control, young lady.”

“And that includes being fucking beaten?”, Chloe had responded, a look of disbelief on her face. “You’ve changed since this fucker started hanging around.”

Joyce just shook her head. “I’ve got to go. My shift at the diner.” She grabbed her purse and left.

“You see, Chloe? Your mother agrees with me. Don’t get out of line, and this can stop happening.”

“My dad was a better man than you’ll ever be!”

“From what I hear, he wasn’t much of a man at all.”

As Chloe looked out of her window, she hefted the gun she had stolen from the asshole’s gun case. He was preparing for World War three, with all of the guns and shit in the garage.

She heard the door open and close. Joyce and step asshole’s voices came up from the first floor.

‘Fine’, Chloe thought. ‘Everyone’s abandoned me. Time to leave this shitpit.'

She pressed the gun to her temple.

As Max was studying, a song came on the radio. It wasn’t her one of her normal ‘you haven’t heard of them’ bands, like Local Natives or Message To Bears. Change was a good thing, though. A quiet piano, then:

Step one, you say we need to talk

He walks, you say sit down, it’s just a talk

He smiles politely back at you

You stare politely right on through

Max thought of the friend she had abandoned. Chloe Price had been fucked over by the world, and she had added to it.

Taking a deep breath, she walked out of her bedroom to the living room. She grabbed the phone.

“Maxine, what are you doing?”, her mother said.

“Just going to call someone.”, she replied, taking the cordless handset back to her bedroom.

“I hope their number is still the same”, she mumbled, dialing the numbers she knew by heart.

The phone rang once, twice, three times, four times.

Joyce Price said. “Hello?”

“Hi...Hi, Joyce. It’s me, Max Caulfield. I’m sorry I haven’t called sooner. Is Chloe there?”

She could hear Joyce crying on the other end, then taking some deep breaths to compose herself.

“Max. Max, Chloe killed herself a few days ago.”

The air left Max’s lungs. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, I found...found her body myself!”, Joyce snapped.

“I’m so sorry, Joyce. I’ll be there for.. for the… I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye, Max.” Click

Where did I go wrong?

I lost a friend

Somewhere along in the bitterness 

And I would have stayed up with you all night

Had I’d known how to save a life

Max let out a scream of pain and anger. She’d only missed by a few days! If only she had been less chickenshit, then Chloe might still be alive.

Max screamed again, throwing her books and papers off of her desk. She kicked the small metal wastebasket by her bed into the opposite wall. “It’s not fair! It’s not fucking fair!”

Lay down a list of what is wrong

The things you’ve told him all along

And pray to God he hears you

And I pray to God he hears you

Now she’d never get the chance to apologize, to tell Chloe how sorry she was. She would have done anything, anything! She would have turned back time itself! But, she couldn’t do that, she wasn’t God. She collapsed to the floor, in the fetal position.

As Ryan and Vanessa ran in, asking her what happened, the song on the radio faded out.

And I would have stayed up with you all night

Had I known how to save a life

**Author's Note:**

> Heard the song, this came from that.
> 
> How To Save A Life is by The Fray
> 
> The title is from The Kids Aren't Alright by The Offspring


End file.
